I put my head on my paws awhile back and watched my human come home.
Same driveway.
Same keys jingling.
Same sigh.
Same chair.
Same television.
Same routine.
Now, I’m a dog.
I like routines.
Breakfast at six? Wonderful.
Belly rub at seven? Even better.
But as I lay there, I noticed something. My human was doing a lot of things, but not really enjoying many of them.
Going through the motions, I guess.
He mowed the yard because it needed mowing.
Ate supper because it was supper time.
Said his prayers because that’s what he’d always done.
Read a verse because it was on the calendar.
Went to work because bills don’t pay themselves.
But his smile had gotten scarce, and his eyes looked tired.
Then one morning, I heard him reading out loud.
“Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
- Colossians 3:23
He stopped and said, “Lord, somewhere along the way I’ve gotten busy doing things and forgotten why I do them.”
I tilted my head.
I know something about that.
Sometimes I chase squirrels just because squirrels are there.
But when my human picks up my leash, I don’t walk with him because I have to.
I walk because I get to.
I don’t greet him at the door because it’s on my calendar.
I greet him because I love him.
Seems to me that’s what the Lord wants from us.
Not empty habits.
Not checking boxes.
Not singing songs with our mouths while our hearts are parked somewhere else.
Jesus once said,
“These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”
- Matthew 15:8
That’s a sobering thought for an old dog.
You can sit in church and miss Jesus.
You can work hard and forget you’re serving Him.
You can live in the same house with the people you love and stop really seeing them.
You can pray words and never speak from your heart.
My human figured that out.
I noticed it, too.
Now, before work, he thanks God instead of merely rushing.
He hugs his wife a little longer.
He laughs more.
He sings louder in church, even if (or when) he’s off-key.
And when he scratches behind my ears, he isn’t just petting the dog.
He’s enjoying the moment.
Maybe that’s what David meant when he wrote,
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
- Psalm 118:24
This old dog’s learned that life isn’t meant to be lived on autopilot.
Love deeply.
Work faithfully.
Worship joyfully.
And don’t just go through the motions.
Because the Father didn’t save us for duty alone.
He saved us for relationship.
Love isn’t supposed to be going through the motions.
Neither is faith.
So if you’ve been just checking boxes lately, maybe it’s time to stop and remember Who gave you another sunrise, another family meal, another opportunity to serve, and another day to walk with Him.
Because this old dog has learned something:
A wag without joy is just exercise.
And faith without heart is just going through the motions.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
